Blade Liger
The Blade Liger is a liger type Zoid, a race of mechanical lifeforms from the fictional Zoids universe. The Blade Liger features heavily in the first two anime series’, Zoids: Chaotic Century and Zoids: Guardian Force, as it is piloted by the main character, Van Flyheight. It also plays secondary roles in the Zoids: New Century Zero and Zoids: Fuzors anime and a larger role in the Battle Story. Overview While the Shield Liger's capabilities were solid for its day, the Blade Liger improves upon them, being faster and more agile than its predecessor. It also gains new weaponry, the most noticeable being a pair of laser-edged blades capable of cutting through all but the densest of enemy armor. Its energy shield is enhanced with the addition of four cooling units located in the white "fins" of its shoulder armor. Like the Shield Liger, it sports a shock cannon, and the Pulse Laser Guns found on the blunt sides of the blades add to the Zoid's limited ranged-combat ability. In the anime Chaotic Century, Van Flyheight's Shield Liger evolves into the first Blade Liger with the help of his organoid Zeke. In contrast, much of the Blade Liger's enhanced performance in the battle story comes from the newly-discovered Organoid System built into the Zoid's design, which was used in upgrading it from a Shield Liger and increases its capabilities compared to a "normal" Zoid. The Blade Liger is a very versatile Zoid so as a result throughout its career it has a large number of available up-grades, most notable ones are the AB unit that provides an increase of speed and ranged combat and the Multi Weapon Set. Their are numerous others such as an Anti-CP shield (seen in Chaotic Century), a multi-directional shield (seen in the manga), and high-voltage laser blades (seen in Zoids: Fuzors). The Zoid itself and the AB upgrade have room for significant improvement for performance. Battle Story appearances The arrival of the Geno Saurer in ZAC 2099 posed a severe problem for the Helic army's forces on the Western Continent. With its high performance and devastating Charged Particle Cannon, the Genosaurer was more than a match for anything that their forces fielded. When upgrades of the Shield Liger and Gojulas proved to be difficult to use, the Republic developed a new Zoid, the Blade Liger. The Blade Liger's high performance made it a dangerous opponent, capable of matching up against the Genosaurer and other new Guylos Zoids. However, the Guylos Empire created a new Zoid to counter it, the Geno Breaker. Against the Geno Breaker, the tables were again turned against the Blade Liger. Despite this, the Blade Liger was still an effective fighter, especially after the development of the Attack Booster System, allowing it to again go toe-to-toe with the cutting-edge technology of the new Guylos Zoid. A Blade Liger piloted by Lt. Arthur Borgman, was also instrumental in the defeat of the rogue Death Stinger. Problems with manufacturing the Organoid System limited the production of the Blade Liger. As a result, it was largely replaced in frontline service after the new Liger Zero was deployed in ZAC 2101. Media appearances Anime Chaotic Century The Blade Liger first appeared in Zoids: Chaotic Century mid-way through the series. After Van's Shield Liger was destroyed by Raven's Geno Saurer, his Organoid, Zeke, and the Ancient Zoidian, Fiona, merged with the wreck. The Zoid "evolved" into a new form to increase the Zoids over all performance and combat ability, over the course of several days, to create the Blade Liger, a completely unique Zoid. It was this first appearance where Dr. D named the Zoid, based of the steel laser blades it was equipped with. Van used the Blade Liger for the remainder of the series, defeating both Raven's Geno Saurer and Prozen's Death Saurer with it using its Blade Attack and sheild combo to negate the CPC. 's Blade Liger]] Guardian Force Van continued to use the Blade Liger throughout Zoids: Guardian Force. During the course of the series, the Blade Liger was upgraded to include several completely new weapons, such as a system that could quickly switch out the Pulse laser guns attached to the blades for sniper rifles or gatling guns. To neutralize charged particles and counter the Geno Saurer, the Blade Liger's shield was upgraded, and it also sported the CP-12 attack boosters upgrade for a short time. At the arrival of the Geno Breaker, Van's Blade Liger was upgraded for higher performance and maneuverability with a new top speed around 325km without the AB unit. It could reach 350km with boosters active, making it the fastest Liger-type Zoid on land. This was to increase the penetration ability of the Laser Blades. Over the course of the series the Liger survived many near fatal attacks. Still, Van used the Zoid to great effect throughout the series, at one point even having to upgrade the Blade Liger in order to keep up with his own speed. The AB unit was only use a few times, and wasn't used after the battle with Geno Breaker. When the Death Stinger's CPC fired at the base, it might have destroyed the disengaged Attack Boosters. In episode 60, The Giant Fortress, the Blade Liger is seen leaving the Ultrasaurus with the AB unit equipped, but as it jumps off the boosters disappear—it's possible this was an editing mistake with stock footage. New Century Zero Leon Toros used a red Blade Liger during Zoids: New Century Zero. This Zoid proved to be powerful in close combat, but was not without its defensive limitations. Oddly enough, given the Blade Liger's very specific origins in Chaotic Century, nothing is stated as to where Leon's Zoid came from. It was, however, said to be a rare Zoid with "only a handful of units in existence", and a red one was even rarer. The Blade Liger is one of the Liger Zero's opponents during the series, and was able to match up against the base Zero in close combat. However, it never managed to officially defeat it. Leon and his Liger also appeared in the Royal Cup, and the Liger Zero used its Schneider armor this time. The Blade Liger was able to counter the Zero Schneider's Buster Slash attack, but it was over-powered and defeated by the new Seven-Blade attack. Despite loosing the battle, the Blade Liger managed to render the Schneider inoperable, forcing the Liger Zero to use the Panzer and the basic armour for its remaining battle against the Berserk Fury. The last fight between the Blade Liger and Liger Zero is often the cause of speculation among fans as to the origin of the red Blade Liger. The final attack Leon uses is almost identical to the attack Van used against the second Death Saurer. Not only that, but the timing of Dr Layon's explanation of ultimate X Zoids may imply that the Blade Liger possesses some of the characteristics of an ultimate X. The Zoid "found" Leon of its own free will. This shows that it had a personality of its own like the Liger Zero. However, this is merely speculation, and no supporting evidence is given to back up these claims. Some video games and the Battle Story explain that a Organoid system is required to build one, but this is usually in a separate continuity to the New Century timeline. Fuzors Blade Ligers in Zoids: Fuzors were associated with Rastani and the Black Impact Team. Unlike the previous series', the Blade Liger was depicted as a common Zoid, albeit a high-performance one. These Blade Ligers are notable as being the first Zoids to fight against a Fuzor, the Killer Spiner, which was able to destroy all three of them effortlessly. The only other Blade Liger seen in the series was trapped with other Zoids set for destruction by Alpha's minions, and was colored primarily white. In episode 7, RD, Dr. Pierce, and Dan investigate an area where two Blade Ligers were ambushed by the Zaber Fang Holotech, though the Ligers are never seen on-screen they might have belonged to the Black Impact team. The original Blade Liger's animation model differed significantly from the model's design, possessing a far wider body, along with a differently-shaped mouth, producing what some fans regarded as a 'goofy grin'. The animation model used in Fuzors was heavily revised, resulting in an appearance that corresponded better to the model. Also, the base colors differ from that of the other series. The Blade Liger's legs are normally black and the body is light grey, but the Black Impact Zoids had a black body and blue legs, much like the Chaotic Century Shield Liger. The claws also differ, being smaller and leaner like those of the Liger Zero. In some versions of the series the Zoid's colors appear inconsistent. Rastani's Blade Liger blades glow blue instead of the yellow seen in previous series though it was later reveled that they were "High Voltage"laser blades. Besides Rastani he Blade Liger pilots had a tendency not to use the Zoids E-Sheild or laser blades at all. Manga Chaotic Century After Caesar (Van's Shield Liger) was heavily damaged during the fight to protect the town of Porto from Raven and the Genosaurer, it became snagged on a power line leading from Wendeen (the ancient Zoid that provided wind power to Porto). Thanks to the combined efforts of Fiona and Wendeen, Caesar was encased in a heart-shaped cocoon on Wendeen's body, letting Caesar evolve into its Blade Liger form. Caesar continued to fight as a Blade Liger until the fight against the Death Stinger, where it was heavily damaged. Its core was then transplanted into the frame of the Republic's new Liger type—the Liger Zero. In the manga, there are a handful of changes to the Blade Liger's abilities. Notable among them is that the E-Shield can be focused in any direction, and can be used to support the Blade Liger over water. Video Games The Blade Liger made appearances in several video games, including the Zoids Saga and Zoids VS series. It plays a moderate role in both, piloted by Van during a time shift and at the end of the game in Zoids Saga II (Zoids Legacy). Both Van and Leon's Blade Liger make appearances in Zoids VS II (Zoids Battle Legends), where they are fought separately in Battle Mode. The Blade Liger Leon by in-game stats is the most powerful version, and the second time you fight Van in Battle Mode, he is piloting a Blade Liger AB, even though he only piloted one for a short time in the show. The Blade Liger AB in Zoids Saga loses its ability to use its blades but it uses its Laser Fangs insted. The Blade Liger AB can use its blades with the Attack Boosters on in the Battle Story, Anime and Zoids VS. In the Game Boy Color game Jashin Fukkatsu!, Van starts piloting a Shield Liger, which you can upgrade to either a Shield Liger Mk.II or a Blade Liger (though neither option involves evolution)...or sell and replace with another Zoid of your choosing. There are also wild Blade Ligers. In Silver Zero, the Blade Liger is found wild in the areas before Hope Tower. By default, it has very high attack and solid defense on the physical/melee part of its stats, making it useful to catch and use against the final boss. Trading Cards The Blade Liger appeared as part of the Trading Collection Cards and Zoids Card Colosseum sets of Zoids Trading Cards. The Blade Liger AB was featured as a card in the Original Battle Game; the Blade Liger BI appeared in Zoids Scramble, and a Blade Liger Van Special was used as a promotional card for the Original Battle Game. Webcomic Two variants of the Blade Liger appeared in the Zoids Battle Story Webcomic. They were the Snipe Liger and the Slash Liger. The Snipe Liger was designed for long range combat while the Slash Liger appears to focus and improve on close range combat compared to the Blade Liger. The only flaw with this is that it lacks any weapons other than its two, large blades. It makes up for this with its speed and power. As for the Snipe Liger, it cannot perform in close range combat, but makes up for it in firepower and defense. Both zoids are designated as RZ-028+ and have yet to appear as model kits. A few standard Blade Ligers have been seen in the comic as well. Models New Japanese Release *Assembly required. (Snap-together, no glue needed. Scissors or X-acto knife recommended for trimming off excess plastic bits.) *The model's colors are molded into the plastic, and it does not need any paint; however some details are pre-painted. The Blade Liger kit comes on six frames (two of which are shared with the Shield Liger), along with a battery-powered motor (based on that used by the Shield Liger), a semi-transparent canopy cover, sixteen rubber caps, and a frame containing mini figures of the Zoids anime characters Van, Fiona and Zeke. The Zoid's teeth and claws are made out of metal. The Blade Liger is molded in blue, black, and grey, with gold teeth and claws and an orange canopy, and features a painted white trim. The Blade Liger's construction isn't overly complex or difficult, putting it roughly in the middle of the range for Zoid complexity. Due to the number of frames shared with the Shield Liger, there are several parts left over when built. The Blade Liger uses a pair of "AAA" sized batteries for motion. Once activated, the Zoid walks forwards with its jaws chomping. The Blade Liger also features two movable panels on its mane, a pair of retractable boosters, and a pair of blades that can be moved into a variety of positions. The Blade Liger's molding has been somewhat inconsistent; many Blade Ligers have loose or poorly-fitting parts, especially the head. There is no real consistency, with individuals within production runs having different issues. In some cases, different parts of each Blade Liger may or may not be painted, and two different canopy colors have been seen in production. Later examples of the NJR production run replaced the metal components with plastic equivalents. The Zoid's cockpit is specially designed for the anime pilot figures, and as a result a normal Zoid pilot figure will not fit properly. Blade Ligers sold in secondary markets, (like China) commonly have plastic teeth and claws, instead of metal ones like in the Philippines. TOMY also released an upgrade kit for the Blade Liger, the CP-12 Attack Boosters. The Boosters are mounted on the Blade Liger's blades, and can be positioned to act as boosters or a second pair of shock cannons. Additionally, the Blade Liger can also use the CP-15 Assault Gatling Unit. Several chromed versions were made by Leoshop as contest prizes. The Zoid was also re-released in near identical packaging as a part of the New Pacific Release. Blade Liger Leon A limited edition version of the Blade Liger was released as a magazine exclusive in 2000, based on the version Leon Toros used in New Century Zero. The Zoid was recoloured in red and black, and lacked the frame of anime figures, instead coming with a standard grey Zoid pilot figure. New American Release The Blade Liger was re-released in North America by Hasbro in 2001. This version was based on the Blade Liger Leon, although the red was a lighter colour and the legs were light grey instead of black. Additionally, the Zoid came with plastic teeth and feet, and did not have any pilot figure supplied. It was rumoured that the blue Blade Liger was a limited edition release as a part of the NAR, but so far these rumours remain unconfirmed. It is possible that these rumours spread via confusion over the boxes art. Blade Liger Mirage This limited edition version of the Blade Liger was released in Japan in 2003 under the Yuji Kaida line of re-issues. It was recoloured with white armour and black legs, and the white trim repainted red. Additionally, it included a repainted CP-12 Attack Booster. This version had a standard pilot figure. Blade Liger Mirage Infinity An even more limited version of the Blade Liger Mirage version. It was the same with the earlier Mirage except for the trim which was changed to pink. It came with a blue CP-12 Attack Booster. New European Release TOMY released the Blade Liger in England in 2003. This version was identical in colouration to the NJR version, but had plastic teeth and fangs. Like the NJR version, the NER version suffered from very inconstant production. Limited Blade Liger Hasbro created another version of the Blade Liger for North American release. This version was coloured metallic grey with black legs, as well as a standard blue pilot figure. The Zoid was scheduled for a late 2003 or early 2004 release, but due to the cancellation of the line, the Zoid never reached production. A few prototypes, complete with packaging, are known to exist. Forest and Night Fight Blade Liger This limited edition Zoid was released solely in Asian markets in 2004. The Zoid was recoloured in dull brown and light blue, with a lime-green trim and a yellow canopy. This version came with the same sprue of anime figures that were released with the New Japanese Release Blade Liger, and had plastic teeth and claws. The zoid was redesignated as RZ-028F. Due to a somewhat maching color scheme, many people attach the zoid with the CP-15. The only other Asia limited Zoid was the Cannon Diver Original Asia Limited Deep Sea Version. They were released at the same time and both zoids have a similar color scheme. The Zoids were designed to complement each other. Blade Liger Black Impact This limited edition version was released in 2004 as a part of the Fuzors model line. Based on the Blade Ligers in the series, this version is identical to the unreleased Limited Blade Liger, and may have been produced from left-over unreleased stock. This version had metal teeth and fangs, and came with a standard pilot figure. High-end Master Model Also known as the HMM Blade Liger, this 1/72nd scale model was released in 2007. Made without any mechanical moving parts whatsoever, it has a far greater range of poseability as opposed to previous models. Its molding was also done in greater detail, making the finished product truer to the original anime. A Japan only limited edition Blade Liger AB Van Specification will be released in the Japanese model hobby show by order only. It comes with a detailed Van and Fiona pilot figures as well as a Zeke figure that can be transformed into a Zoid Core. There are rumors that the Zoid may become an official HMM limited edition kit and is planned to be released in late December of 2009, however, there is no official announcement, and thus, is unconfirmed. A few pre-orders of the kit have recently been made availible on e-bay ''and are fairly priced. File:Hmm_bliger.jpg|''HMM Blade Liger File:Hmm_bligerab.jpg|''HMM'' Blade Liger Leon File:Hmm_bliger_v.jpg|''HMM'' Blade Liger AB Van Specification Category:Zoids Category:Liger-Type Zoids Category:Helic Republic Zoids